Marked
by SheikahHeart
Summary: Cloud killed the SHM five years ago.. Yet they came back even more dangerous. Yet again he destroyed them.. But Kadaj survived by fleeing. So what happens when Kadaj returns to pay Miss Tifa Lockhart a little visit? Chapters 1-7 have been edited!
1. Startling Meeting

Marked

Marked

Startling Meeting.

Disclaimer – I don't own any characters from Final Fantasy 7. Don't sue me for anything you don't like people….

A/N : Okay as you can see in the summary, I edited all of the chapters. That's right. ALL OF THE CHAPTERS. It took me a very long time, so leave reviews on whether or not you like it…

'' – means somebody's thoughts

A tired sigh could be heard if anyone was there to listen, but the only person who was there was the one who was sighing. Wine colored eyes, belonging to a twenty two year old woman, opened to see her clock reading the time of ten am. Letting out a groan, the woman rolled out of bed and dressed in her normal outfit, excluding her fighting gloves, all though she had those in her back pocket in case she had a customer who couldn't keep his hand to himself.

Jogging down the stairs, the woman flicked the lights on and walked over to the door flipping the 'Closed' sign over to read 'Open'. 'Yet another day.' She stretched and rolled her eyes when she spotted a note on the bar counter. Speaking aloud to herself she said, "Let me guess, it's a note from Cloud that's going to say, 'Dear Tifa, I'm not here as you can see, and I'll be back later. Don't stay up too late waiting for me.'"

Making her way over to the note, she picked it up and read aloud:

Dear Tifa,

I'm not here as you can tell, but I'll be back later. Don't wait up for me.

Crumpling up the note and tossing it into a nearby trash can, Tifa began putting chairs down on the floor and cleaning the tables off. The tiny bell on the Seventh Heaven's door rang, announcing that a customer had arrived. Looking up, Tifa couldn't see what the person was, because of the cloak, and she was assuming the customer was a male. The man made his way over to the counter and, sat down on one of the bar stools. He was silent, and Tifa was grateful for it. She needed time to think. However she wasn't so lucky.

The man spoke up quietly, "You seemed to be troubled Tifa." Tifa glanced at him, shook her head, and went back to work. "So is this how you treat all of your customers? Just let them help themselves to a drink? Such a kind bartender." Tifa glanced at him again and sighed saying she was sorry. He raised an eyebrow and spoke again, "I was thinking you would like some company. The bar has just opened up so, know one is here yet and therefore I popped in hoping to talk for a little while."

Tifa raised an eyebrow and sat down next to the customer, asking, "Well your not a normal customer, that's for sure." The man chuckled slightly and said, "I heard Cloud destroyed the SHM yet again… Is he not strong enough to keep them down?" Tifa instantly gritted her teeth. "I did not mean to upset you. Should I have not spoken of the SHM or Cloud?" The man spoke softly.

Eyeing him she said, "I wish you hadn't. Cloud has always been anti-social, so I can understand him not being here every once in a while but….. He's never here when I'm awake or getting ready to go to sleep. And, he's never here when I need him. I thought he and I were friends, but I guess I was wrong…" She let out a sigh and began sweeping behind the bar counter. The customer's eyes followed her movements. "What if I could tell you where he was every morning, day, and night, my kitten?"

Tifa froze when she heard the word kitten. The customer was speaking in a different voice. She slowly turned around to face the customer who had pushed the hood of his cloak down. "You…Kadaj…. He killed you… What.. How..?" She stuttered and quickly pulled her gloves on preparing for a fight. "You don't want to fight me kitten. I'm just going to tell you where your little lover-boy goes off to while he pretends to be interested in you." Her eyes widened and she went to say something but Kadaj quickly cut her off. "He's with Yuffie all of the time, and he's doing more than searching for fucking materia. As a matter of fact, he's doing the fucking." Kadaj said blankly.

Tifa eyed Kadaj mistrustfully and backed away from him when she noticed he was walking towards her slowly, like he was trying hard not to scare her. He let a slow smile spread across his face. "I'm not scaring you or hurting you am I, kitten?" Tifa said nothing, but her fists clenched tightly and she grew rigid.

"Pardon me _Kadaj_, but you haven't exactly been the best of company the last few times I was around you." She looked past him and eyed the door that was behind him. "The door is right there, so you may turn around and leave at any moment." She spat out angrily. Tifa didn't really understand why she was angry, but she was. Kadaj hadn't done anything to her… yet.

Kadaj shot her a smile, that revealed remarkably, sharp, fangs. "Is it all this talk about Cloud? Or is it the fact that your confused? Or maybe your wondering what I am? Well I'm a vampire, and so is Cloud. You don't have to believe me, and you probably don't, but I'm sure he'll show you tonight when he gets home. Most male vampires don't like having their 'property' messed with. "He began to push her back slightly, but with force and she winced when the back of her knees hit the cabinet where the glasses where kept.

Before Tifa could regain her balance, Kadaj was in front of her, gripping her chin tightly and forcing her to look at him. "Do you know who he's fucking twenty-four seven, my dear kitten? I believe her name is Yuffie… An annoying brat that one is. Seems like she never shuts up. But, I'll leave you to your thoughts…. Right after I mark you, dear." Before Tifa could do anything, Kadaj had sunk his fangs deep into the side of her neck. He retreated from her neck after a few seconds and, left her to dizzily lean against the glass. "Seeing as your in no condition to be serving drinks, I'll flip the sign back to 'Closed' on my way out."

As she watched him leave, she moved over to a bar stool to rest on. Tifa let out a groan of discomfort. Her neck was sore and her head hurt from trying to understand why Kadaj was even alive and, why he was a…a.. vampire. Another jingle was let loose as the bell was shaken for a second time that day. Without looking up, Tifa called out, "The sign says we're closed. Please come back later." A small laugh could be heard. "Your kicking me out of my own place that I stay in Tifa?"

Tifa's head shot up and she instantly regretted moving so fast. Letting out a weak groan, she slapped Cloud's hands away as he quickly rushed over to steady her. He raised an eyebrow, but backed off to give her some space. 'Something's not right…' Cloud thought quietly. 'There's another vampire scent in here and all over Tifa.' He returned his attention to her and asked her if she was alright. She weakly nodded yes and, that's when he noticed the marks on the side of her neck. Perfect bite marks. That explained the vampire scent.

"Tifa? What are those holes in your neck? I'm sure they weren't there this morning when I left.." Her hand instantly shot over to her neck to cover the wounds. "I uhhh…. Fell and stabbed myself on the corner of the bar counter twice… You know… clumsy me….heh…" She flashed a small grin, obviously nervous about Cloud questioning her.

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Tifa you never lie to me… who marked you?" He was baring his fangs now, confirming Kadaj's statement that Cloud was a vampire, and he looked angry. Very angry. She began backing away from him and tried to avoid his gaze.

'Why? Why did this have to happen to _me_ of all people?!' Tifa's mind was stuck in a hurricane of chaos.

'It comes with being close to vampires. Sooner or later, your life is flipped upside down.' A foreign voice spoke in her mind.

Tifa let out a growl. 'So your in my mind now too, Kadaj?'

A small chuckle. 'Congrats, you figured it out. Being bonded to me allows me to talk to you and keep a close eye on you so no one like Cloud takes you from me.'

'What's the big interest in me all of the sudden? Last time we met, you tried to kill me… well Loz did, but that's besides the point… And speaking of points, Cloud has very pointy fangs and I think he's going to bite me..'

Tifa dropped her mind speak with Kadaj and focused on the approaching Cloud. He looked very angry and for some reason, she thought he was going to bite her. Her thoughts became true, as he pressed her against a wall and sank his fangs into the other side of her neck. The side that Kadaj hadn't bit her on.

'Why me?? Why do I have to be bitten twice??'

Tifa blacked out from Cloud's sleeping venom. Her body couldn't fight the venom off, due to the fact that she was so weak and dizzy from Kadaj's bite.

A/N: Okay the very first edited chapter has been completed. It was a lot longer, so I hoped you enjoyed it, and I'm going to try to make longer chapters, guys. The original chapter, had a word count of 743 words and this chapter has about 1600 words. So I guess I'm making an improvement.

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	2. Words and Promises

Marked

Marked

2.Words and Promises.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who had reviewed so far! Your reviews are truly appreciated. : Now, Yuffie makes her appearance in this chapter. I would have put her in the first chapter, but after I edited, it seemed best she stuck to this chapter. I do apologize for any sudden surprises… if there are any..

Appreciated Reviewers

Djxscribbles

Geminithefirst

Hyakkimaru

Mints-n-Apples

Thank you again…

'' – Means someone's thoughts.

A groan could be heard as Tifa awoke from her restless slumber. Her dreams had been haunted by vampires, and she could have sworn Kadaj had come back and, Cloud had bitten her… It all rushed through her head, but she laughed at herself, and accused herself of not getting enough rest.

That was until, she checked the clock and she saw it was fifteen minutes to eight pm. Tifa rolled her eyes and mentally blamed Yuffie for playing a prank on her and changing the time on her clock. Tifa's eyes darted to the window that, instead of showing the sun, showed the moon. 'This doesn't make sense.. I couldn't have been asleep for so long..'

Tifa let out a hiss of pain as her neck began throbbing on one side, and then the pain quickly made itself known on the other side. She slapped her hand to the right side of her neck and rubbed it hard trying to get the pain to go away. Her fingers sank deeper into her neck then she meant them too. She narrowed her eyes and gently brushed her fingers across her neck finding, much to her surprise, holes. 'More like bite marks…'

So she hadn't been dreaming. Kadaj had come back, he and Cloud were vampires, she had been bitten by both of them, and… she had been asleep too long. Her customers were probably swearing outside. That's when she heard the rain pounding hard on the windows. 'Don't know how I managed to not here that…' She kept thinking about what had happened to her and, finally, it hit her fully and she let out a screech of panic.

Tifa had read her books, well the typical ones, that told what happened when a vampire bit you. Three things could happen. One, you die and the leech gets all of your blood, two, you become like a servant to the leech, or three, you become a leech. All three of the options sounded bad, and she ruled out the first one happening to her considering she was still alive. Her head snapped to the door when it creaked open.

A curious ninja stood at the door with her hands on her hips. "Tifa? It's about time you got up.. Why'd ya scream? Nightmares?" The ninja asked amused. Tifa let out a irritated sigh and picked herself off the floor. Sometime during the panic, she had thrashed herself right off the bed. "No Yuffie, not nightmares. And how long have I been asleep?" The ninja now identified as Yuffie, thought for a second and said, "I think two or three days. Cloud found you on the bar floor and brought you up here. He told me to watch over you. He seemed really worried."

Tifa raised an eyebrow and shook her head. Yuffie was eyeing the bite marks on her neck oddly, but she didn't say anything. When Tifa shot her a questioning look, she merely smiled innocently. "Yuffie, I highly doubt Cloud wanted you to look over me because, he's supposedly _worried_. And why are you _staring_ at my neck Yuffie?" The ninja snapped her focus back to Tifa and said softly, "He bit you too?"

Tifa blinked and raised her hand to her neck again before eyeing Yuffie carefully. "What do you mean, 'He bit you too?'" Yuffie shook her head and looked everywhere, except at Tifa. "He's a vampire, and when we… well you know… we were uhh…" Her face turned a pure crimson and she shook her head saying, "That's besides the point! He bit me… but only once, seems like he bit you twice. I think it's a mark that vampires put on there… err… property or something like that."

Yuffie glanced at Tifa's clock which read eight pm. "Uhh Tifa, I think you should go let the customers in, after all it is raining and I think they've been out there since, err, six thirty… or somewhere around that time." She watched Tifa's mouth drop open and smiled weakly.

Tifa shook her head. "Since I have to go rescue the customers from the rain, make me a promise. I'm going to leave in two days to get away from Cloud. I don't want to be his property." Yuffie nodded and asked, "And what about Marlene and Denzel? What do I tell them? Your like their mother, and I don't want…" Tifa thought quietly. "Tell them I'm on a trip, and I'll be back later to get them… Don't tell Cloud I'm planning to leave okay?"

Yuffie nodded. "It'll be hard considering that he and I are bonded which means he can hear my thoughts, but I'll try. Oh and you should really go let those customers in Tifa…" She went to look at Tifa, but Tifa had already darted downstairs to let the customers in.

Yuffie walked downstairs and sat at one of the bar stools, flirting with one of the customers, while Tifa served the drinks. "Tifa called out, "Yuffie, I don't think Cloud's gonna like you flirting, hun." Yuffie thought about it and ran back upstairs, saying something about cleaning. Right, as if the Yuffie cleaned.

Tifa let out a sigh, thinking. She didn't know where she could go, and she was worried Cloud would be able to read her thoughts. She heard that little foreign voice in the back of her mind again, and it wasn't hers.

'Well, well, well. Looks like the kitten has roused at last from her little nap.'

'Shut up, Kadaj. I'm in no mood to talk to you right now.'

'Well I'm in every mood to talk to _you_.'

'Whatever, I'm busy so make this quick why don't you?'

'Oh my, looks like the kitten, didn't get her beauty sleep. But fine, I'll make this a quick chat. Don't let Cloud get you in a room alone. At all. Understand?'

'I have a question.. well two actually… The first one is, if he bit me, shouldn't he be able to hear my thoughts too? And the other question is, why should I listen to you?'

'The answer to the first question is, he can't because my bite was put down first and he hasn't bonded with you fully. If he takes you as a mate he can hear you thoughts, but not yet. The second is because I don't want him mating with you. Even if you may like it…'

'Oh, is somebody is jealous? And why am I so important?'

'I'll warn you, that vampire jealousy is dangerous compared to a pitiful human's jealousy, and yes I'm jealous that he gets to be around you more than I do. Why are you important? I don't know, but for some reason I find you fascinating. Get over it.'

Tifa felt the mind-speech get cut off as Kadaj went to go do whatever he was going to do. Letting out a curse, and getting a few looks, Tifa refrained from cursing Kadaj for not staying to talk to her. Although she had told him to go away, she felt safer when she could talk to him. Letting out a sigh, she watched the clock turn from eight fifteen pm to one am and finally, decided she would close the bar.

Ushering the last of the customers out the door, she tiredly cleaned up and flipped the sign over so it read 'Closed'. Before she ascended the stairs to go to sleep, she could have sworn she saw mako blue, cat-like, slitted eyes follow her every movement. She shrugged tiredly and headed towards her room.

A/N: Yes! Finally the second chapter has been edited. The word count before was – 914 and not it's about 1300. Apparently I'm making process. Go me!

–cheers-

Well readers, you know the drill…

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	3. I'm Not Your Property

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Marked

3. I'm Not Your Property.

A/N: Thanks again you everyone who has been reviewing. I truly didn't expect to get this many reviews and I'm glad you love the story. :

Warnings – Violence and Abuse of Characters. You have been warned.

Wine colored eyes blinked while they stared out the window at the rising sun. A sigh could be heard. It was quiet, but to Tifa, it sounded like it echoed all around the bar and her room. She moved away from the window and walked over to her dresser, shutting open drawers and looking at herself in the mirror.

Her normally milky white skin, had shadows showing underneath her eyes, her eyes looked dull, her hair didn't shine as much, and her normally joyful mood had turned into a quiet, withdrawn, dull mood. It wasn't like Tifa to be like this, but the past two days, she had planned and thought, never getting any sleep. Today was the day she was leaving. She had already sent Yuffie out with the children to take them somewhere fun, so she could get away without much of a fuss.

Tifa spotted a necklace on her desk, that she had forgotten about a long time ago. It had been a birthday gift from one of the gang. She picked it up and stroked it gently and smiled slightly. The necklace was a silver pentagram and it glistened in the sun and the moonlight. She remembered who had given it to her. Vincent Valentine. He had given this to her. He was like Cloud, withdrawn in many ways, but always helping friends when needed. Turning it over, she saw a tiny inscription. It read, 'Blessed Be.' She put the necklace on and left her room, shutting the door and letting out a sigh. It would be best if she left her stuff here, that way she could avoid serious questions about where she was going.

Tifa walked down the stairs and eyed the messy bar. She might as well clean it up, just in case Cloud came home and saw the place was dirty. He would definitely be suspicious. Tifa washed the dishes, dried them with a rag and put them away, and cleaned up the floors. She cleaned up the tables and wiped down the bar counter. All in all, the place looked better and she thought nothing could ruin her mood. However, she was proven wrong, yet again.

"Well the place certainly looks better than it did last night Tifa. You do a good job cleaning." Tifa jumped and turned around to eye Cloud who was smiling at her. "Damn Cloud, you nearly made me piss myself." He smirked and said, "Poor you." She narrowed her eyes and went to stalk past him and leave the bar. He quickly grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him. She shot him a glare that would have scared off most men, but Cloud was used to all of her glares.

Cloud eyed her calmly. "If your thinking of leaving to go and see the pitiful Sephiroth Clone, I would think again. You wouldn't want to get hurt would you now, Tifa?" Tifa sent him a glare and bitterly said, "Where I go is none of your business, and I believe that you would be hurting me more, not him. Let go of me." He shook his head.

"I can't believe you would pick a _clone_ over _me_. You belong to me and I'm not going to allow it. As a matter of fact, I'll give you two options. Stay here with me, or try to go see him, and fight me." Tifa bit her lip. Cloud was a strong fighter, and she knew that with him being a vampire, he would be a lot stronger than normal. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and before she realized what was happening, he threw her out the door into a nearby, burned down building.

Tifa let out a cough as she landed on some rubble. Her arm had been cut open and bruised heavily. She groaned and gingerly pushed herself up. If Cloud was going to fight her, then he would have to really, truly, _fight_ her. Tifa slipped her fighting gloves on and watched Cloud slowly walk over to her, eyeing her angrily.

Cloud called out lightly, "Why do you fight me Tifa? You know you would be off better with me. We've known each other for such a long time. I'm sure we can put this behind us. You trust me don't you?" Tifa let out a small cough and spat, "I fight you because, I'm not your property. I don't think I would be better off as your _slave_. I'm not sure if I should trust the man, I mean _vampire_, that just _threw_, me out of _my bar._"

Tifa clenched her fists together and waited for Cloud to get within her striking range. As soon as he did, she crouched and did a low-sweep with her leg to try and knock Cloud off balance. It almost worked, until he grabbed her by the foot and flung her into part of the crumbling wall. Coughing slightly she darted forward and slammed her fist upwards, striking him in the face and she heard a crack. Tifa let out a smirk and jumped backwards.

Cloud let out a strangled growl and his eyes turned blood red. The bitch had broken his jaw. 'She's stronger than I thought she was before.. I won't make that mistake again.' Cloud darted forward, grabbed her by her throat and threw her onto a pole that impaled her in the shoulder. She let out a pained cry, and watched him walk away. He called over his shoulder, "You've got two days to run Tifa, assuming you live. After two days, I'll come after you."

Tifa let out strangled breaths. The pain in her shoulder was terrible. She couldn't even describe how much it hurt. She had never felt this kind of pain. Her good arm attempted to push her off of the pole, but she was too weak to do anything. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, trying to block out the pain. Her body was shaking at the sudden blood loss, and her arm felt cold.

Tifa suddenly felt warm hands push her off of the pole, and then arms found their way around her waist. The hands hauled her up into her arms and a low voice spoke out to her. She could barely focus on the voice and decided to ignore it, instead snuggling into the warmth that was being produced off of the person's body. The arms tightened around her and a voice floated into her mind.

'Focus on my voice Tifa. It'll distract you from your pain.'

'I c-c-can't f-f-focusss… Hurts too m-much… K-k-kadajj..'

'Fine. If you can't focus on me, then focus on my body heat. Seems like all you can do.'

Tifa let out a painful breath and focused on Kadaj's body heat. He was quite warm, and she told him so. He let out a small chuckle and said, "No, your just very cold kitten." She blinked and finally passed out as the pain became too much for her to handle.

Kadaj walked to Aerith's church and brought Tifa into Aerith's old room and gently set her on the bed. He looked around for cloth to bandage her wounds and finally decided he would have to sacrifice the sheets. Tearing the sheet's into strips of bandages, he used a strip to wipe up the flowing blood coming from her shoulder. Grabbing three or four more strips, he quickly wrapped them around her shoulder and tied them tightly, praying the blood would slow down and stop.

Kadaj was confused. 'I thought Cloud loved her. Guess not if her hurt her like this, and speaking of hurt, she shouldn't have been able to survive these wounds.' He focused on her again and quickly wiped up the rest of blood from other minor wounds. Kadaj moved her, and set her in a chair while he changed the bloody sheets into clean ones. He may be evil, but he liked things to be clean. After having the sheets changed, he returned Tifa to the bed and made sure she was towards the middle, so she wouldn't roll off in the middle of the night.

Kadaj lay down next to her and heard her heartbeat slowly return to normal. That was a _very_ good sign. He pulled her towards him in a protective embrace, and pulled the covers over them. It was two days until the full moon, so Cloud had picked the deadliest time to come after Tifa. But, Kadaj wasn't going to let anything happen to Tifa. He didn't know why, but he had a strange obsession with her. She had neither chosen him nor Cloud as her mate, so they both were going to go after her. He didn't understand why Cloud wanted her. His eyes flashed blood red and he let out a small snarl. 'No. I will not give into my bloodlust like Cloud does.' His eyes returned to his normal color.

Kadaj pressed his face close to Tifa's neck and inhaled her scent. She smelled sweet. Maybe that was why Cloud lusted after her. 'Whatever. All that matters is that she recovers.' He kissed her neck, where her pulse beat strongly. 'And so now, I'll have to plan how to keep her away from him. He'll probably want her back more, now that I have her.'

A/N: Woo! Third Chapter has finally been edited: And I got a sweet moment with Kadaj and Tifa.. Somehow I didn't manage that before. Yea well you know what to do… So review!


	4. Taunts and Surprises

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4. Taunts and Surprises.

A/N: The people who read the original Marked chapters will see that, this chapter has had it's title changed. The original chapter for new readers, was Verbal Fights and Surprises. I was re-reading the chapter and the title just felt plain stupid so I changed it.

Green eyes watched the girl, as she rested peacefully. Tifa had recovered faster than most humans would. It surprised him, and he rolled his eyes. He let go of her and slid off of the bed, heading down into the main part of the church. Tifa would be up soon enough, and Kadaj wanted to taunt her when she awoke. He cared about her, but it was in his nature to taunt. He couldn't really help it much.

Kadaj felt the wind blow outside, and watched it blow ripples across Aerith's healing waters. When he had first hid out here, he had seen many people come here to drink the water, and it never seemed to run out. However, the humans had stopped coming after a while. He didn't know why, maybe they could feel the darkness that radiated off of him. He heard footsteps, and stopped his train of thought to turn and look at a tired Tifa.

Tifa looked like _shit_. Kadaj hated to say it, but she really did. He let out a smirk and Tifa glared at him, daring him to say something. So, of course he did. "You know Tifa, day one out of two has started. Your getting a late start to keep running from Cloud.. Although, I'm sure he would forgive you and take you back in if, you ran back to him and groveled at his knees." Tifa sent him a look that had a poisonous fire in them. He raised an eyebrow, he had never seen this look. Then again, he never was around her that much, so he never had time to see all off her looks. A perverted thought ran through his mind and he raked his eyes up and down her form, smirking appreciatively. Tifa narrowed her eyes but blushed all the same, and limped over to a nearby pew, keeping an eye on Kadaj the whole time.

Tifa sighed. She knew what Kadaj was doing, but she had a small pride issue and wouldn't let him win the fight. After all, Pride is the deadliest of all sins and, very hard to overcome. Most of the time, no one can overcome it, and they wind up dead in some dark alley corner. Tifa let out a sneer and said tauntingly to Kadaj, "Well, you brought me here, so you and Cloud obviously are competing over me. If your _brothers_ were here, maybe _they_ could help you." Kadaj snarled. She went too far, but he had started it. "Well they would be here if _Cloud_, if hadn't killed them. And _you_ fought Loz in this very church, although I hate to admit it, you kicked his ass. So you share the blame in our defeat.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. _She_ hadn't even delivered the finishing blows to Kadaj's brothers. It made no sense, but she could tell she had pissed him off, due to his red tinted eyes. She thought about backing off, but Pride won and she snarled right back at him. "I didn't kill you brothers and you know that! So in the end, you cannot blame me for their deaths or yours. Perhaps, if you had thrown the thoughts of Jenova and Spehiroth away, but _no_ you just _had _to go and get her and then turn into Sephiroth. She never loved you, or your brothers. The only one she loved, besides herself, was Sephiroth. And why was that your wondering? It's because, he was very close to destroying the world before." All of the feelings she had been feeling, seemed to explode out and she blinked and bit her lip. She _never_ lost control like that. Now he'd probably kill her, but she felt more rage surge to the surface and so she let out before he could say anything. "He killed my best friend. Aerith was.. was.. so kind and a-and loving… and he killed her and she shouldn't have died. So if your going to blame me for your brother's death, then I'm going to blame you for _hers_."

Kadaj watched Tifa vent and, he was impressed. He hadn't expected her to just vent like that. It was startling, to tell the truth. "I didn't know her, and so you cannot blame me for her death." "Your just a Sephiroth clone, so you most likely were there inside of him when he killed her. So I'll blame you all I want." Tifa was close to breaking something, even if it was one of her bones. She was so angry. A voice echoed about the halls of the run-down church after Kadaj and Tifa fell silent to think.

"But, it wasn't Kadaj's fault little girl, so you should hold your tongue unless you want to lose it." Tifa's head shot over to look at two cloaked figures. She stood up and was about to snap at the figure but, Kadaj quickly pulled her behind me. Tifa went to protest, but he told her in her mind, that they were vampires. The figure who hadn't spoken chuckled slightly. "Leave it to our little brother to ruin our secret and from the looks of it, he wants to protect the human." The figure pushed his hood down and revealed, eyes and hair that matched Kadaj's. Kadaj's eyes widened when the other figure pushed his hood down and, smiled.

Kadaj didn't know what to say. His brother's _had survived_. "But Cloud.. he destroyed you.. I felt it in the life stream…" Kadaj stumbled forward and Yazoo caught him before he fell. Loz raised an eyebrow. "Looks as if you have grown a bit on the clumsy side. But, we don't know how we survived either. We saw Cloud in town, and picked you scent up in a nearby building. We didn't want to get in a fight with Cloud, not because he's a vampire, but because he knows we would aid you in claiming Tifa. We followed your scent here to find you and Tifa screeching at each other. Well, she did the screeching.."

While the brother's began talking to each other and catching up on where they had been, Tifa sat down on a pew and gazed at the healing waters. Two years it had been now, that Aerith had gone into the life stream. She was a Cetra and Tifa believed that she was the mother of the planet now and was everywhere. Even though she was no longer here in body, she was here in life. Everywhere, especially in the healing waters.

Tifa had been gazing at the water so long that she hadn't noticed Yazoo was talking about her. "She's devoid of her normal energy Kadaj." Loz chipped in, "I thought she would jump up and beat the shit out of me." He flashed a playful grin but, was shushed so Yazoo could speak. "Kadaj, what happened to her?" Kadaj quickly filled them in about the fight with Cloud, and how she had managed to deal a blow to his face. Loz and Yazoo whistled. Not many humans could deal a vampire a wound, that would stay for a while. "That explains the bruise on his cheek." Loz said.

The brothers moved over to Tifa and sat down near her. Yazoo was the only one speaking, because he had always been the easiest one to talk. "You are devoid of most feelings, Tifa. Something troubles you, what?" Tifa eyed him quietly. "I'm worried about Denzel and Marlene. I'm not sure if Cloud would hurt them or not, but with the way he's acting, I'm worried for them." Kadaj eyed her calmly and spoke in her mind. 'There's something else too, isn't there?' She responded, 'Doesn't concern you.' He left it at that.

Loz looked at Yazoo and said, "We'll go get them. It's obvious that you shouldn't keep children from their mother's or vice versa." Tifa shook her head and said, "They won't come willingly. They were taught by Cloud to fear you and, you can't get me to write a note because they'll think you forced me too or, that you forged it." Yazoo spoke up, "Well then we'll get Yuffie to help. She knows that you left for a reason. I'm sure she'll understand." Tifa sighed. "Don't bother. Just go straight to Denzel and Marlene. Tell Denzel he has a cross shaped scar on his right shoulder. I'm the only one who knows so they'll come for sure. Thank you so much.."

Loz and Yazoo nodded while, Kadaj said, "Okay well we'll go get them tonight then." Tifa glared at Kadaj. "Your not going anywhere. Your staying here with _me_." He looked at her and said sweetly, "Aww are you worried about me kitten? So sweet. I thought for sure you would want me to go." She eyed him calmly. "I don't want you to fight him. He's really strong…" He looked at her and shrugged.

Yazoo spoke softly, "She's a keeper this time, my little brother." Loz smiled and nodded eagerly as Kadaj let a sly grin creep across his face. Tifa shot him a glare. "Touch me, and I'll kick your sorry little ass, and make you regret touching me." Kadaj pouted slightly and looked at his ass. "I always thought that it was average sized…"

Yazoo and Loz rolled their eyes before going into a corner to plan on when and how they were going to get the children.

A/N: Woo… Chapter has been edited.. so review noooowww!


	5. Encounters and Reflections

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5. Encounters and Reflections

A/N: Okay, well I have changed the title of yet another chapter.. Don't you guys just love me? –grins demonically- Well, you'll get over it won't cha? For new readers, the old chapter was called Conversational Dreams. But this title suits it better don't you think?

Onto the story!

'Well this is different. Wasn't expecting to be here again… Not for a long while anyways…' Cloud mused to himself quietly as he awoke from his sleep, in a field of ethereal flowers. He didn't know why he had awoken, because vampires never slept. They didn't need to and, therefore, instead of risking an attack from a rival vampire or a vampire hunter, they stayed awake. He hadn't even remembered slipping into unconsciousness, but he blamed it on all the stress he was going through. Yes, amazing as it seems, vampire can get stressed.

Cloud walked across the field, crushing flowers wherever his feet landed and, stopped by the single tree in the middle of the field. Leaning against the tree, he closed his eyes and crossed his arms, waiting for the familiar aura of _her_. He knew that she wanted to talk to him because, she never brought him here unless something had to be discussed. Which was very, _rare_.

After waiting a moment, he felt her presence grace him. He smirked and spoke quietly, " Aerith. What do you wish of me this time?" Cloud opened his eyes and turned to face Aerith, who had narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn't look too happy with him. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to speak. After what seemed like an eternity, she questioned him angrily. "What did you _DO_ to her Cloud?!"

Silence echoed throughout the field and was all that could be heard after Aerith had demanded the answer from Cloud. He had turned away from her and, was staring out across the field, not looking at anything in particular. Aerith waited patiently for the answer that was soon to come. Sure enough, Cloud turned around and said slowly, "Who, and what are you talking about, my dear?" Aerith sighed and growled slightly. She normally didn't growl, as she was the symbol of rebirth and life. Such petty things, did not suit her.

Aerith eyed Cloud and sighed again. He was being possessive. Next he would ask for forgiveness and it would be a repeat of last time. "Cloud you ruthlessly attacked Tifa, just because she had been bitten by Kadaj. Humans cannot stop a vampire's bite, and every human that has tried, has been killed. What were you trying to do?" Cloud sent her a dismissive glare. "No wonder Sephiroth killed you. Your so nosy and annoying. But, if you must know, I was trying to scare her. Kadaj has influenced her to believe he is good and I'm bad. He's using her, and I won't allow it!" His teeth lengthened into fierce, jagged fangs.

Wincing when the Sephiroth comment was made, Aerith shook her head and mused to herself. 'That's not how he felt when Sephiroth killed me. Perhaps.. No. I'm not cruel like he is. I won't use my powers to punish a fool. He'll just be a fool even more.' Speaking up, Aerith said blankly, "So your logic tells you, that if you scare her, she'll come back to you? What kind of logic is that, Cloud?! You practically killed her! Your bloodlust is getting out of hand and, you know it!" He shot her a glare at her, challenging her to stare him in the eye, and she didn't back down. Cloud spoke dully, "It's not controlling me, and I know what I'm doing! Now, since we're done talking, send me back."

Cloud continued to glare at Aerith and, she eventually caved in. "Cloud your such an asshole.. Behave yourself, or I'll make sure that everything in the Lifestream comes after you." Aerith leaned forward and shoved Cloud who, went to lash at her, but found himself in his bed with Yuffie, who was sleeping contentedly. He watched as her chest went up and down with each breath she took. He wondered why he was with her. Maybe it was to get back at Vincent. Vincent had made a promise to Cloud and, he hadn't kept it.

Cloud let out a quiet sigh. It had been a long time since he had seen Vincent, and he almost never wanted to see the gunman again. 'You broke our promise Vincent, only fair I break your heart.' Cloud smirked and stroked Yuffie's cheek gently. Oh yes, he was only using her. That's what he told himself that every night. Vincent's promise had been to help him through his turning, which he hadn't. Cloud needed help getting through the hardships of being a vampire. It wasn't as easy as most people thought.

Getting up, Cloud decide he should go feed so he didn't start snacking on Yuffie. He still needed her for when Vincent came back. He needed to make Vincent hurt. Sure, Vincent had been hurt and tortured for many years, but Cloud was beyond caring, and he could be called selfish. Cloud made his way down downstairs and looked at the bar. It was clean, considering the fact that it hadn't been open since the day Tifa had been thrown out of the bar, quite literally. Cloud had turned away many customers away, saying Tifa was sick and didn't want him to run the bar. They had left, mumbling, and gone to other bars of less quality.

Cloud walked outside and inhaled the cool, crisp air. It smelled wonderful and made his vampire senses tingle slightly. However, he picked up another scent almost as soon as he walked out of the bar. He grinned, baring his fangs, and stalked someone into an alley. Cloud couldn't see a face, due to the fact that there was a cloak hiding their face. Inhaling again, he picked up the scent of a female. He smirked and licked his lips. Females always had the sweetest blood. Calling out in a mocking voice, that he only used when he hunted, he said, "What's the matter little girl? It's three in the morning, surely you should be at home asleep.. Although, I'm not complaining."

A small laugh could be heard and then an airy voice spoke up, "Your such a foolish vampire Cloud. Surely an elder, should know by now, that he shouldn't play with his food. Hmmph. And they call _you_ an elder. You should be ranked as a normal vampire like the rest of us. You can't even strategize as well as I can.." Cloud let out a snarl and the girl stopped her speech, and much to Cloud's surprise, began speaking in a male voice. "First of all, Cloud, I'm obviously not a girl like you thought, and second of all, I'll meet you again in a few days.. We have a few things to talk about. Tonight, you'll have to go hungry, because I won't be your prey." After saying so, the male quickly darted out of the alley before Cloud could do anything.

An hour had gone by since Cloud had returned to the bar after letting his prey escape him. Who was the male vampire in the cloak? Cloud knew it was a vampire, because of how fast he had fled the alley. His voice had sounded very familiar, but it eluded his memory completely, of who it had been. It wasn't a good sign when vampires couldn't remember things. They lived for centuries and, therefore, had to remember things such as, how their ancestors were slain, and how they could avoid the hunters. Cloud sighed and stared at the bottle of alcohol he had been drinking. He had gone through three bottles of vodka, drinking them all straight from the bottle.

Cloud growled and threw the bottle against the wall, watching as the vodka dripped onto the floor. He was pissed that he had let his prey escape. It disturbed him greatly and made him think that he may be getting slower. That couldn't be possible.. He was a new vampire to the world, and as you aged you got faster.. It was like the opposite of a human. As they grew older, they grew weaker and slower. 'Maybe.. maybe I was just having an 'off' day… Yes.. that's all it was..' Cloud mused to himself silently and looked at the broken glass on the floor. 'Better clean that up, so Yuffie doesn't hurt herself.. I don't want her to be hurt.. Not yet anyways.' He got down on his hands and knees and swept the glass into his palm. He didn't want Yuffie getting hurt until Vincent could see her get hurt and not be able to do anything about it.

"Well Cloud, your not exactly the kind of person to be on his hands and knees… What's the special occasion?" Cloud whipped his head around to see, the missing gunman. Vincent was leaning against the bar door, watching Cloud. Before Cloud could utter a word, Vincent spoke quiet words laced with anger, "I heard about the fight with Tifa. What were you trying to do, other than beat the shit out of her? Which, if I may say, you successfully did." Cloud stood up and eyed Vincent. "I was trying to tell her that I'm stronger than Kadaj and, more likely to protect her and love her than he is. How would you know about the fight and, where have you been?"

Vincent blinked and lazily watched Cloud scowl. "Where I've been Cloud, is none of your business. If I do care to share, I will. Don't question me." Cloud let out a small laugh . "I don't really want to know. I'm only asking for Yuffie's sake, who has apparently moved on." Vincent glared at Cloud and hissed, "You mean you killed her?! You said you would protect her and you turned around and killed her?!"

Cloud rolled his eyes and laughed. "No, she's still alive, but I did hurt her. I made her scream for me.. if you catch my drifts.. Just have to love the scream of a virgin. Which means, she's with me now. And I didn't break my word Vincent, you broke yours." The look on Vincent's face was pure shock. Cloud let out another laugh. "For so long, I've wanted to see that expression on your face. I'm the first to see it, am I not?" 'So Yuffie has moved on.. I'm happy for her, but with Cloud? He's fucking crazy.. Surely she can see that? I wonder what he threatened to do to her if she didn't give up her virginity..' Vincent mused quietly.

Cloud smiled. "Vincent. Your not welcome here anymore, I suggest you leave. You might as well go and run with Tifa. Both of you betrayed me." Vincent narrowed his eyes but left without a word. Now was not the time to beat the living shit out of Cloud. That would come later… Much later after Tifa was okay and able to fight Cloud. If there was one thing Vincent knew, it was that he had not betrayed Cloud. Letting out a growl when he picked up the scent of Tifa's blood on the nearby rubble, he decided on what he would do. He would follow her blood scent and join up with her and, most likely Kadaj, but he wanted to observe Yuffie for a little while. At least, while he still could.

A/N: For some reason my little dash thingy's won't work, but here's the redone version of Chapter 5 for ya. Hoped ya liked it! Review 'cause ya'll love me and my edited chapters.


	6. Vamp Fight

Marked.

6. Vamp Fight

A/N: Okay, I've been editing chapters like crazy and, I hope you guys like them better. This title has also been changed! I know I've been changing title's like crazy, but they sound better to me and, they make more sense and actually suit the chapters! So, now that I've given my little speech, I'll continue onto the edited version of Chapter 6!

'' – Means someone's thinking as usual.

Kadaj smirked and enjoyed what he was seeing. Tifa was yelling and hollering about how he shouldn't have gone after Cloud, and how he shouldn't have insulted him on top of that. It, was all very amusing when her face flushed from Kadaj's wandering eyes. She shook her head and asked, "Are you even listening to me, Kadaj? He could have KILLED you! Don't you ever think before you act?!" Tifa let out a sigh and shook her head. She was getting nowhere and, Kadaj believed she just now realized that.

He smirked and walked over to her, slipping his arms around her waist. She froze and her body tensed slightly. "Kadaj, what are you doing this time?" He realized, she was still very sensitive to being touched by vampires, seeing as she had been bitten and hurt each time she came into contact with one. He smiled and nuzzled the side of her neck, letting his tongue flick out and run along her jaw. "Nothing, yet. I'm actually going back to meet Cloud. I promised him I would see him again soon.. Now seems like a good enough time to go see him."

Tifa shivered when he touched her. It made her skin tingle and, she almost let out a mewl of displeasure when he pulled away. She turned in his hold and eyed him tiredly. "I give up. No one listens to me anymore." She pulled away from him and went to go head upstairs to the bedroom she had been given, when Kadaj called out to her. "Are you really that worried about me, Kitten?" She froze and thought to herself. Was she really worried about Kadaj? He had shown her kindness and had taken care of her wounds. At this thought, her fingers rested against the pole injury.

She sighed and whispered softly, "Yes." Not turning around, she continued up the stairs that would taker her away from those eyes that sent shivers down her spine. Kadaj smiled slightly. He had heard her whispered word, and it made him feel slightly alive. 'Which is very ironic, considering I'm not technically dead or alive.' He turned when he heard someone clear there throat. Looking around, he saw nothing, and blew it off as his mind playing tricks on him. Heading towards the church doors, he heard a soft voice.

Kadaj froze and turned around to see Aerith smiling at him. He walked towards her slowly and he saw her tremble slightly with each step he took. "Mother, your trembling." She raised an eyebrow and spoke softly, "I never thought I would hear _you_ call _me_ Mother, Kadaj." He smiled and sat down on a nearby pew, crossing his legs and leaning back. "So Mother, what can I do for you? It's not everyday I get to see you." Aerith let out an airy laugh and sat down next to Kadaj. Looking out across the small pond of Healing Waters, she sighed. "Tifa seems to happy, being here with you and all. But, why did you save her and, what makes her so special to you?"

Aerith looked at her 'son' and watched emotions flicker over his face. "Not going to tell your mother?" She teased slightly and smiled when he play hit her. "No, I am… Once I can find the right words. I think, she makes me feel alive and hopeful… I don't want her getting hurt and I think I want to make up for what I did in the past…" He stopped when Aerith put her hand on his leg. "You've already taken a huge step, by saving her and taking care of her." Kadaj looked at her. "And then what? Where do I continue? There's so much to do I believe… What should I do?"

Kadaj turned to look at Aerith, but she had already left in her mysterious ways of leaving. Sighing, he stood up and grabbed his cloak, while casting a glance at the staircase. He could stay here with Tifa, and hopefully start the beginning of a relationship, or he could go straight to Cloud and, hopefully deal some serious damage for Tifa. He knew she would probably be upset and accuse him of attacking Cloud for his own purposes, but he wanted to prove to her so much that he wanted her to be safe.

'Listen to me. I've become all mushy mush. Hmm. Well, time to pay Cloud a little visit.' Putting the hood of his cloak on, he walked outside and smiled when Aerith spoke to him in his head. 'You'll know what to do, but be careful, Tifa wouldn't like it if you were hurt.' There connection was lost, as Kadaj felt eyes following him. He looked up at Tifa's window and saw her smile slightly before turning away. Grinning like a wolf, he stated to run through the shadows, avoiding all humans.

About an hour later, Kadaj grinned wickedly as he spotted Cloud walking into an alley, cornering an old looking dog that, had seen better days. He followed Cloud into the alley and called out slightly, "Low taste in food nowadays.. Huh Cloud?" Cloud turned around slowly and let out a growl, causing the dog to drop dead of fear. "Is there an actual reason your hear, other than to mess up my hunting Kadaj?" Cloud asked coldly. Flashing another grin, Kadaj pushed his hood down and said, "How did you know it was me this time Cloud? Surely you would have mistaken me for _another little girl_." He spoke the last words in a whiney female voice.

Cloud snarled and shook his head. Kadaj was beginning to really piss him off. Normally, he could deal with whiney little brats, but, Kadaj was slowly but surely fucking thing up for Cloud. "Hmm. I think you were better off being a little girl, then a vampire invading my territory." Cloud lunged at Kadaj who stepped aside and shoved him against a wall. Kadaj smiled and continued taunting Cloud until the Cloud reached the point where his eyes turned blood red.

Ducking a swipe to his head, Kadaj kicked Cloud's knees out from under him and really wished that he had brought his blade with him. 'Oh well, more fun to fight with your claws so you can truly feel your victory.' The fighting went on for what seemed like a couple of minutes, but was actually a few hours. Night was already falling when the vampires broke away at a sound. Cloud and Kadaj both turned to see Yuffie staring at them with fear. She had apparently never seen Cloud in his vampire state. Kadaj was ripped from his thoughts as claws sliced his chest open.

Snarling, Kadaj darted out of the alley, surprising Yuffie, and headed for the church. 'Fuck! I knew I shouldn't have been thinking in a fight. Oh yeah, they always say, think before you act, well a load of good it did this fucking time!' Kadaj made it back to the church faster than he had left it. Panting slightly, he threw his cloak onto one of the pews and growled. Things had _NOT_ gone as planned. 'He's stronger than I assumed… Won't be making that mistake again.'

Letting out a sigh, Kadaj jumped slightly when he felt a gentle hand press against his shoulder. He turned his head to look at Tifa who was looking back and forth from his face to his wound. "We should get you taken care of…" He shook his head and said, "I'll do it myself. I don't want to actually hurt you…" Tifa didn't press him, but she did sit with him while he mused slightly.

A/N: Yay Chapter 6 has been completed! Woo hoo! So, you guys liked? Well than you know what to do! Review!

And for every day you don't review, think of poor Sephiroth as he's getting jumped on by Chibi Zacks! Poor sephy… Not.


	7. Tifa's Turning

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7. Tifa's Turning.

A/N: Okay this is one of the few chapters (if any) that have not been subject to my title changing! Hah! I'm evil yes I know! I know you guys are all patiently waiting for me to get the next chapter out and then… BAM! I decide to edit instead of granting you wishes! Hee hee! Well I promise I'll have new chapters up soon for you faithful readers! Onto the chapter!

'' - means someone is thinking

Sighing softly, Tifa watched as Kadaj slept. He had fallen asleep, and it surprised her. She didn't think that vampires would need to sleep. Nevertheless, she did her best to get him in a more comfortable position, eventually having to sit on the floor while he took up the whole pew with his body. 'I TOLD him he shouldn't have gone after Cloud. But no, does he listen?! I never knew Cloud could be so evil…' She eyed Kadaj's wound and, decided she was going to clean it up. It look horrible.

Going upstairs, she rummaged around in her room for the First Aid Kit. She had made Yazoo go get her one, so she could dress her wounds while she was alone. She hated having people wait on her. Bringing it downstairs, once she found it, she looked for the needle and thread. Hopefully, Kadaj wouldn't burn when the silver pierced his skin. She had read in books, that vampires burned when silver touched them. Finally deciding, that she would just clean the wound, she dipped a rag into the Healing Waters and wiped it against Kadaj's skin. He shivered and his eyes flew open, causing her to freeze.

'Oh shit, did I do something wrong?' Tifa mused to herself quietly and picked up a dry rag. She pressed gently and Kadaj let out a slight moan of pain before sitting up. "You know, you don't follow orders to well…" He looked at her. Tifa smiled and countered, "You don't care about what I say, and you got hurt for not listening." Kadaj shook his head and brushed his bangs out of his face while Tifa eyed his chest. He smirked at her stunned expression. "Vamps, are fast healers Tifa." "I'll say…" She responded softly.

Putting the stuff back into the kit, Tifa sat down next to Kadaj and looked at him. He was very beautiful, even in pain. "You know Kadaj, it's been two weeks since Cloud threatened me and a day now that you've been sleeping…" Kadaj looked at her. "I think it's time you made you decision Tifa. Cloud was restless… He'll most likely get ready to come after you and, you need to be able to defend yourself." She looked at him and said, "Will it hurt? And… Will I still be the same person?"

Kadaj looked at her and nodded. "You'll still be the same person, but you may gain a special ability." Tifa looked back and asked, "Special… ability? Like what?" Kadaj thought about it for a little bit before speaking again. "Abilities like reviving people, shapeshifting, seeing the future, casting magic.. there's many possible abilities for you to gain Tifa. But above all, you'll be stronger, faster, and you'll won't feel helpless or scared anymore. I promise."

Tifa looked away and glanced at the pond. She was so unsure of what to do, but she knew she needed to do something other than sit around like a duck. "Will it hurt? I mean, I'm assuming you'll have to bite me again.." Kadaj knelt in front of her and took her hand in his gently. "It will hurt a little bit, but in the end the pain will be worth it. I promise you."

Tifa looked at his hand sighed. 'If you do this, you'll be changed forever and the life you knew will become just a memory.' She thought to herself silently.

Kadaj patiently waited for her confirmation to begin the transformation and, when Tifa nodded her head at last, he smiled. He pulled her down and pressed his lips against her neck. She shivered as his fangs slid into her skin. She couldn't describe the feeling. It was painful and yet.. pleasurable at the same time. "Never knew you could _want_ to feel pain." She mumbled out slightly.

Tifa began to feel very dizzy as the vampire venom spread throughout her body. She was feeling weird sensations like, but most of all she felt pain. And, it wasn't hers, it was Kadaj's. He was worried and in pain. She wondered why he was in so much pain.. Maybe because of his wound? No, not even a wound could cause that much pain. Then Tifa felt it. She felt Kadaj's pain at trying to be forgiven for his sins and, trying to understand how he could tell her. Tell her what, Tifa didn't find out because she slid into a deep sleep.

Kadaj sighed and sheathed his fangs. Tifa's blood was very sweet and tempting, and it had taken almost everything he had had in his power to refrain himself from sucking her dry. 'Don't want that now..' He knew she had felt what he was feeling by the way that her heart had sped up a little. She had been trying to figure out what was bothering him. Sliding his arms around her, he picked Tifa up and carried her over to the staircase. It took him a little while, but he managed to get her upstairs and, into her room.

Ripping the sheets back, he laid Tifa down and tucked her in. Kadaj wanted her to comfortable when she woke up. After all, she would be in a lot of pain when she woke up and, a uncomfortable surface wouldn't make her any better. She was most likely going to be very irritable when she woke up and, Kadaj hoped he wouldn't piss her off by accident. That would not help either of them. He hissed when he thought of what Cloud could be doing to her. Cloud would most likely pamper Tifa, until he didn't'need her anymore.

'Look, your driving yourself crazy, so just watch over her or..get some sleep. Not that you need it of course, but it'll distract you from your fretting.' Kadaj mused to himself. Since when did he start.. fretting? He broke out into a small laugh and left Tifa's room. He headed down the hall towards his room and, he flopped onto the bed. Not very graceful, but who cared? He certainly didn't.

"Cloud, your certainly going to have a challenge to look forward to when you meet Tifa in battle as a vampire. I think she'll definitely kick your ass." Kadaj spoke out loud, as if those words would actually reach Cloud somehow. 'I hope you rot in hell you bastard.' Kadaj laughed again and closed his eyes, looking forward to the day that Tifa would wake up and, be able to kick some serious ass.

A/N: Okay yay chapter 7 is finished! It's a bit shorter than the other one's, but I'm not perfect so don't bitch at me! Anyways, I hoped you liked it and, for the sake of poor Sephy-chan.. Review.

S: I hate you.

SB: No you think you hate me. Who you really hate is all those Chibi Zacks jumping on you.

Z: WHEE!!

S: You have a point.


	8. Nightmares

Nightmares

A/N: Okay here's the next chapter for all you loyal readers!

Disclaimer – I don't own any of the characters in this story. I do own the plot

Yuffie sighed as she changed into a loose t-shirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants. It was not her normal choice of clothing but she was going to bed so what the fuck, who cared? She let out a sigh and slid under her covers. She had been having nightmares lately. A lot of them.

They all focused around vampires. She saw familiar faces in her dreams, including Tifa. It puzzled her why she was having these dreams and why Tifa was a vampire. Marlene and Denzel didn't talk much any more after Tifa had left. They missed her obviously and Yuffie felt sorry that she couldn't tell them where Tifa had gone. Shit, even she didn't know where Tifa had gone.

In her dreams along with Tifa, she saw familiar faces such as Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj. She saw a red shadow and last night she began to see something new. The night before Tifa told Yuffie she planned on leaving, she had a dream. In this dream, Tifa had said the exact words she had said the next day. All in all, Yuffie was stressed.

Everything she saw in her dreams were becoming a reality. Sometimes it happened quickly, and sometimes it took a while for her dreams to become true. She couldn't block her dreams either, they came whenever they felt they needed too, which just so happened to be every night. She rolled over in her bed so she could look out the window. The moonlight shone through the window and illuminated her face. What was this red shadow?

It was always in her dreams. And whenever she tried to focus on the shadow, it twisted out of her vision. She blinked and began thinking. Cloud had said that Vincent had become a red shadow and saved him from Kadaj and his brothers. "It couldn't be him though. He left five years ago!" She let out a frustrated sigh and punched her pillow. Nothing made sense anymore.

She closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths. It would be best if she could get some sleep. Perhaps she would even be able to learn more about this shadow.

He watched her thrash around in her bed and let out a sigh. Vincent had not planned to find Yuffie in this state. Apparently being around Cloud had triggered her dreams. Vincent shook his head. Yuffie should NOT be getting Premonitions. That was strictly a vampire ability. Yuffie could be driven into madness if her dreams intensified. Which of course they were.

This made it very hard for Vincent. You see he had left five years ago after the so-called defeat of Kadaj and his brothers. What really happened was that Cloud had triggered an aura inside of their blood-stream which caused them to become vampires. Every human had this aura, but it was very hard to awaken. Most of the time it was awoken by being bitten by a vampire.

Three weeks ago, Cloud had yet again so-called defeated Kadaj and his brothers. This time though, Kadaj was a vampire. He had fled thinking Cloud had killed his brothers. Vincent knew this only because he had a trusted vampire watching over everyone. However news soon reached him that this vampire had been slain. He suspected Cloud had done it.

Vincent now had to deal with Yuffie's problem. He was the red shadow in her dreams and he had no doubt that Yuffie would soon figure that out. Yuffie knew that Chaos was inside of him and she had been murmuring 'Oz' a lot lately so no doubt she already figured it was him. Her dreams would soon drive her into madness if she did not turn.

As a vampire Yuffie could control her Premonitions. She could have them whenever she needed to see something. And she would be able to sleep easier as well. The only problem was that she would be angry at Vincent for leaving without an explanation and she most likely would be pissed if he flat out said, "You must become a vampire or you'll die."

Vincent sighed and watched Yuffie eventually stop thrashing and fall into a deep peaceful sleep. She really was quite pretty. But, because she was such a tom-boy she never sought to bring out that feature. Vincent allowed a small smile to grace his features and he moved toward Yuffie. He leaned over and brushed his lips against her cheek.

"Sleep well little ninja. For you have a very interesting story to play in the future." He morphed into his shadow form and quickly slipped outside into the cold and crisp night.

A/N: Okay that's chapter eight for you guys! I'm going to try and put up Chapter 9 a.s.a.p! Thank you to everyone who's read the story so far and liked it Please review!!


	9. Tifa's Awakening

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9. Tifa's Awakening

A/N: Okay I know, I know! You want the next chapter and I haven't posted... so sue me! I''ve been busy! I knew you'd understand after a while that i'm...slow... lol. Anyways... I'll get to the story.. Hope ya like the next chapter of Marked!

Oh Oh!

All previous chapters 'cept for Chapter 8 have been edited.

You may have known that... so yea!

'' - means someones thoughts

'Neck...hurts...dizzy...'

Wine colored eyes opened to see a tidy room. The last thing she remembered was, Kadaj sinking his fangs deep into her neck. It had been painful at first, but his venom numbed the pain and it had begun to feel good. The sensation was almost like getting high or drunk. She raised a hand to her neck and rubbed her fingers over the place where he had bitten her. She felt smooth skin, but she could feel the outlines of the puncture wounds long healed over, and she let out a small smile.

She sighed and got up from the bed she had been laying in. She most certainly was not in a bed when Kadaj bit her, but she knew that he had moved her, and she assumed she had been asleep for a while, because when she stood up, her back cracked pleasantly. SHe stretched and almost felt like a cat. She moved over to the mirror that rested against the wall and her eyes widened when she saw herself. She couldn't believe it.. She had actually changed. Her eyes were slitted like a cat's,and her hair had streaks of silver in it. Looking at her hands, she realized they had retractable claws, that slid in and out on command.

Tifa was confused, and the only thing she could think about was what happened to her. She knew she what she was now, but the transformation couldn't have been that short. And why had she felt his pain? Pain that had been long unspoken to his brothers whom, he apparently trusted with his whole being. She had left the room and made her way down to what was still Aerith's church. Kadaj was speaking with Denzel and Marlene and instantly, Tifa's mood turned into a happy one.

Marlene was the first to spot Tifa and after letting out a shriek of happiness, she darted over to Tifa and hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much!!" Tifa smiled slightly and hugged Marlene back. Denzel jumped in, making it a group hug and spoke softly, "Loz and Yazoo came to get us, we were scared, but I trusted them. I.. somehow had a feeling that they would bring us to you. Why... why did you leave us Tifa?"

Tifa sighed, and tried to push down the feeling of guilt. "Don't worry about it Denzel. Hey, why don't you go play with Loz and Marlene in the hidden courtyard?" She saw Loz and Yazoo walk in and quickly decided to use Loz to get the children away, so she could speak to Kadaj alone. Loz sent her a pretend glare of anger, but led the children away to play. She watched them for a moment while Yazoo and Kadaj talked quietly amongst themselves. After a moment, Yazoo excused himself, saying, "When your ready, call me." He followed the children and Loz out the door.

Tifa watched him walk away and felt Kadaj wrap his arm around her waist and place a loving kiss on her forehead. When she had first seen Kadaj, he was shorter than her, but now he was about five or six inches taller than her. 'Must be the vampire genes...' He led her over to a table and pushed her down onto one of the black leather chairs that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Tifa's eyes followed Kadaj as he sat down in the other leather chair and sighed slightly, massaging his temples. "Tifa, no doubt you woke up this morning and could tell you were different than you normally are." Tifa looked down at the table and noticed that his fingers were idly dancing. It looked as if he was nervous.

Kadaj looked at her and asked her softly as he moved his hand to hold hers, "Do you know how long its been since you fainted, Tifa? When she shook her head no, he sighed and spoke again. "You've been unconscious for a month. We were.. getting worried about you, because most most transformations only take one to two weeks to complete. Yazoo said it may be, because your going to gain an ability that is sapping the strength from your body, quicker than it should be."

He paused, and she interrupted him. "Ability? I know I asked before, and you said you didn't remember all of them, let alone know all of them, but surely you would know what kind of abilities take this long!" Kadaj winced when she released a shriek of frusturation at the fact of him not knowing what kind of ability she had. "Tifa, love, I understand that your upset and confused, but I'm going to ask you to please not scre-" She interrupted him once again. "I'm not confused or upset! I'm worried! What happens if I attack Denzel or Marlene by accident? What if I kill them.. or..."

Kadaj stood up and pushed her back in her chair, after she lunged out of it. "Don't worry, if you attack the children, or any of us, we'll make sure no one gets hurt, especially you, Kitten." She looked at him with worry etched on her face. Calming down a little bit, she watched him pull his chair over to her's and he stroked her cheek gently. "See? I told you that you would still be yourself, even after the change was complete."

Tifa sighed. It was true, she felt like herself, but she was... different. She was faster, stronger, and her senses had heightened incredibly. Her looks were pretty much the same, except for the moon silver streaks in her hair and her eyes. All in all, she was still Tifa, just an immortal Tifa. She looked at Kadaj and asked slowly, "Will I still be able to use martial arts and everything?"

He snorted slightly. "Yes you will, but you will have to learn the self-control that most vampires do't and, you have to control the strength of each blow. If you don't, you might snap someone's head right off of their necks, unintentionally. Vampire strength is terrifying compared to a normal human's. If you do snap someone's head off... inform me or one of my brothers so we can dispose of the body... and the head." He smiled wickedly and she scowled. He shrugged and got from his chair. "I've asked Yazoo to train you in necessary vampire lore, and maybe even more, and maybe even more depending on how quickly you learn, anbd Loz will teach you handy techniques for when you battle. Think of it like this, Yazoo will teach you history and lore while Loz helps you fight and learn how to control yourself, fighting your urges, and how to keep your body in shape and at your full potential. Each vampire's agility is different, so it's up to you on how your going to best train yourself. Loz won't always be there fo your training, so your going to have to teach yourself outside of your lessons. He will be like a target that a gunaman shoots to master his shooting skill. Use him to your advantage, understand?"

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid Kadaj, that I might whack your brother's head off like Reno whacked Rude in the face with his saber?" Kadaj broke out laughing, remembering the funny little visual that Yazoo had described to him, and merely shook his head. She let out a growl and quickly covered her mouth when she realized that she had just _growled. _Kadaj laughed even harder and almost fell over when Tifa tried to kick him.

Rolling his eyes, Kadaj spoke quickly to try and hide the rest of his laughter. "Nah, trust ya, andf I think Loz has learned by now, to be careful around you and avoid your finishing moves.If he hasn't...well he's probably going to be hurting for awhile. When your fighting a battle, you'll feel an urge to lose all control. This urge would be called instincts, and they will do different things. For instance, if your in a battle and are badly outnumbered, your instincts will try to send you into a blood thirsty rage. You always want to keep your head in a battle, or you may just lose it. Loz and Yazoo will help you. When you need help, ask us, don't be shy, love. We're not going to hurt you okay? _We want you here._"

Standing up, he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Now i'm going to go and get Yazoo so you can begin your lessons on history and lore." As he walked off, Tifa remembered she had wanted to ask him a question, but he was gone before she could do anything. She would have to learn that little trick. She smiled as Yazoo walked towardsher with several books in his arms.

Yazoo returned her smile, flashing sharp fangs that glistened in the moonlight, that was shining through the holes in the roof. "I see you are well restednow Tifa, and for that I'm glad. Kadaj was frantic and was worried you wouldn't wake up. Now I hope your changing has not taxed you of too much strength. Now before we begin, are there any questions you have?"

Tifa nodded and flashed another smile. "Yea, I want to know what ability I'm have and, why it took me so long to awaken. Apparently I've been asleep longer than most humans completeing the change, so I want to know what abilities tax this much fucking strength from my body." She bared her fangs at the last several words, and waited for Yazoo's response. He spoke after a few minutes, "I don't know what ability you have, because you don't have it yet. Your in the process of gaining it and, your teeth and claws are looking good. That's a good thing, but you should put your claws away before you tear all of the leather off of that chair."

Tifa sheathed her claws when she saw what they had done to the leather. It looked similarly to tattered curtains that had a cat sitting beside it looking innocent. Yazoo let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry Tifa, it was worse for me when I completed the change. I almost tried to kill Loz.. By accident of course. Instincts, I believe Kadaj briefed you on them. Now about your ability. There are many that tax strength like this, but there are too many to remember. All of the abilities are in this book," Yazoo motioned to a green book with black words scrawled across it, " Read it, and you may learn wehat ability is doing this to you. Vampires are immortal, we have many ages to learn things, but not all of us do. Kadaj, Loz, and I are trying to learn all we can.. It hurts to be separated from the ones you love and we're trying to not let that happen again."

Tifa piped up, "There are more of us? And why wouldn't they want to learn?" Flashing another smile, Yazoo said, "There are many more of us who, believe that knowledge is not a necessity in life. Not a strong ability, however to defeat your opponent, you need to know what their weakness is. You wouldn't know who a vampire is on a street unless you look at their face. We are known for our flawless looks and how graceful we are. Young vampires are blood thirsty and are praised by their vampire lords for their strength. Most however, are slain because another young vampire who has quick wits, slays them faster than they can blink."

Yazoo pushed the books he had brought towards Tifa. "I want you to read these. They will teach you about everything known in vampire history. And I think you may find out what your ability is, let alone you may enjoy reading these books. When your done, let me know and we'll study something different, understand?" She nodded and he said, "Good luck with learning, Tifa." He stood up, and left her alone with the books, which she stacked into a neat pile.

Sighing, Tifa picked up the books and wandered through the halls of the church back to her room, without paying much attention to where she was going. 'Must be another vampire trick...' She thought quietly as she found herself in her room. Carefully placeing the books on the desk in her room, she glanced at the clock. It hadn't seem like it, but she had only been awake for an hour. It had felt like longer.

Something caught her eyes and she looked down at the books. A chill rushed down her spine. Tucked neatly into one of the books, was a black feather. She recognized immediately who it belonged too. Picking it up, she crushed it. She didn't want to think that _he_ had returned.

A/N: YES!! I DID IT! WOOT! Sheesh I have a cramp in one of my fingers now... It all your fault! Lol. Review peeps... or Reno will shock you with his... saber... thingy...


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